After having quit the BJP in December 2012 to form the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Thursday formally rejoined the party.

Apart from Yeddyurappa, his close aides and former ministers Shobha Karandlaje, C M Udasi, M P Renukacharya also became the primary members of the BJP once again on Thursday. Two other MLAs elected on KJP tickets in the May Assembly polls last year, however, did not join the BJP.

Yeddyurappa has said he would strive to win for the BJP more than the 19 Parliament seats (out of 28) that it got in Karnataka in 2009.

The BJP has taken back Yeddyurappa, who quit the party in a huff in 2012, to consolidate votes of Lingayats — the single-largest community in the state, in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Yeddyurappa quit the BJP after he was forced to resign as chief minister in the light of corruption charges.

The BJP believes the exit of the Lingayat strongman helped the Congress win the state Assembly polls in May. The KJP divided the BJP support base in north Karnataka.

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